PLANS to tighten gun laws have been rubber-stamped by the European Parliament.

Merseyside’s MEP Arlene McCarthy has won backing from the continent’s top decision makers for her drive to stop decommissioned and blank-firing guns being adapted to fire live ammo.

The guns are illegal in the UK but converted weapons are a cheap and popular choice for criminals who smuggle them back from mainland Europe, where they are freely available.

The new European directive will mean individuals wanting to buy convertible guns will have to prove their identity to the retailer or manufacturer.

The age at which a firearm can be bought or owned will be raised to 18, unless it is for hunting or target shooting under adult supervision.

Blank-firing guns that could be converted will also be made illegal.

The new stricter controls are not aimed at people who are legally entitled to possess weapons for legitimate purposes in national law.

Ms McCarthy said: “I decided to take up the campaign in Europe on behalf of those young people who lost their lives and I do think we owe it to them and their families to do everything we can to take the guns off the street.”

EU governments are expected to approve the reforms by the end of the year and the directive is due to come into force in January 2008.

Member states will then have two years to put the changes into practice.

Making it harder to get hold of guns is one of the aims of the ECHO’s Liverpool Unites campaign.